Linotype-machine.



No. 838,063. PATENTED DEC. 11, 1906.;

P. w. SUTGLIFPE. LINOTYPE MAUHINE. APPLICATION FILED 001 6 1905 4SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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No. 838,063. PATE-NTED DEC. 11, 1906. F, W. SUTGLIFFE. LINOTYPE MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 5, 1995.

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P. W. SUTGLIFFB.

LINOTYPE MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 0015, 1905.

PA'TENTBD DEC. 11, 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK WILLIAM SUTCLIFFE, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO LINOTYPEAND MACHINERY LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

LINOTYPE-IVIACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 11, 1906.

Application filed October 5. 1905. Serial No. 281,45 9.

To all whom, it may concern;-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK WILLIAM SUTOLIFFE, of Battledene road,Highbury, London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements inLinotype-Machines and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

v This invention relates to improvements in linotype-machines; and theobject of it is to enable the operator to cast linotypes of difierentlengths from the same composed lineof matrices and spaces.

It consists in alternative means for carrying out the process describedand claimed in a pending application filed by myself and CharlesHolliwell on October 5, 1905, Serial No. 281,458.

It is particularly adapted for use in the Mergenthaler linotype-machine,described in thespecification ofLettersPatent No.436,532, of September16, 1890.

The particular users of linotype-machine who have already and will inthe future find this invention useful are those who supply stereotypesto the printing trade, and some of whose customers require theirstereotypes to have lines of one length, while other customers requiretheir stereotypes to have lines of a different length. For instance, letit be supposed that one such customer is the proprietor of a newspaperhaving lines thirty ens long, while the lines of another customersnewspaper are only twenty-eight ens long. It is obvious that athirty-ens stereo cannot be cast from a flong mad e 011 twentyeight-enslinotypes, and even if the user were to set the job in movable typeinstead of in linotype it would. still be necessary to run over thelines after thefirst flong had been taken from them to shorten them fromthirty ens to twenty-eight ens or to lengthen them from twenty-eight ensto thirty ens, according to which. of the two had been their originallength, before the second flong could be taken.

- The present invention makes the linotypemachine practically run overeach twentyeight-en line of matrices and space-bars after thetwenty-eight-en linotype has been cast from it and lengthen it to thirtyens, so that the machine can cast a thirty-ens linotype from the saidline before it is distributed, thereby obviating the necessity of aseparate composition for each length of linotype.

It consists in combining a filling-piece with the vise that holds thecomposed line during the acts of justification and casting, the saidfilling-piece having an operative thickness equal to the desireddifference in the two lengths of linotypes. The vise is adjusted for thelonger length and this length reduced to the shorter one by theinsertion of the filling-piece. The line is then composed as for theshorter length, but more tightly than usual for the following reason,which will be more readily understood if it is explained in connectionwith a Mergenthaler space-bar. Each space-bar of a Mergenthalerlinotypemachine is a double wedge capable of being thickened by havingone of its wedges slid along over the other, the thickening increasingso long as the sliding continues. In the commercial machine of to-daythis thickening continues until the line is justified. Consequently themore matrices there are in a line the less need there is for eachspace-bar to be thickened to its maximum to justify the line. It isquite possible for anoperator to compose so few matrices into the linethat the justification of it will absorb all the justifying capacity ofits space-bars. v of composition, known as loose, will not satisfy thepresent invention, because there must be a reserve of justifyingcapacity equal to the difference between the two lengths of linotypes.This is why the present invention requires that the line should becomposed more tightly than usual, for a line so composed will bejustified before the spacebars are thickened to the maximum, therebyproviding the required reserve of justifying capacity.

After the shorter linotype has been cast the filling-piece is withdrawnfrom the vise, thereby leaving it adjusted for the longer length. Thecomposed line is againplaced in the vise by means of a special repeatingmechanism, and after it has been justified to the longer length thelonger linotypeis cast and the composed line distributed, thisdistribution being permitted by the repeating mechanism just mentioned.

The filling-piece may be alternated (01. e. inserted and withdrawn) byhand but ,to do This sortthis with the necessary regularity would ,tax

the attention of the operator, so that such 1 manual operation ispractically impossible. That being so, the invention includes automaticalternating mechanism of special construction for inserting andwithdrawing the filling-piece. The mold-carrier is fitted with a singlemold, which is of the longer length and in which both lengths oflinotypes are cast. Preparatory to casting a shorter linotype this moldis closed at one end by an amount equal to the difference between thetwo desired lengths of linotype, and this closing the mold makesan-indent ation at one end of the shorterlength linotype. The presenceof this indentation is obvious when it is borne'in mind that the lengthof the mold determines the length of the body of the linotype, while thelength of the printing edge of the linotype is determined by the lengthof the composed line of matrices. Any of the molds adjustable forlength, such as those of Patents N 0. 562,751, June 23, 1896, or No.539,993, May 28, 1895, may be used; but their adjustability is notto'meet the change from the'longer to the shorter length-sayfrom'twenty-eight to thirty ensbut to meet the change from one range oflengths to another, as when the lengths are, say, forty-eight and fiftyens instead of twenty-eight and thirty ens. It is always thefilling-piece that provides for the diiferencebetween the two lengths.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the application of the invention tothe commercial' Mergenthaler linotype-machine.

Figure 1' is a side elevation; Fig. 2, a plan corresponding therewith;Fig. 3, an enlarged detail of thefillin'g-piece'; Fig. 4, an enlargedplan showing the cooperation of the fillingpiece with the movable vise-jaw, and Fig. 5 an enlarged front elevation showing how the filling-pieceis mounted on the vise-frame. Fig. 6 is a detail showing a variant formof thefilling-pie'ce. Fig. 7 is a side elevation, and Fig. 8 is a plan,of an automatic repeating mechanism. automatic'means for justifying thecomposed line to the respective lengths after'each presentation of thesaid line to the mold.

1 is the single mold, mounted as heretofore in the mold-carrier 3. Amold is in the casting position when it is stationary behind the viseand close up to it, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

4 is the fixed, and 5 the movable, vise-jaw; 6, the abutment for the jaw5, operated by the screw 7 to hold the jaw 5 at the proper distance fromthe jaw 4, and 8 the vise-frame supporting the parts 4, 5, 6, and 7. Thedis tance between the jaws 4 and 5 is the usual vise-opening to receivethe composed lines of matrices and space-bars. This line is omitted fromthe figures, so as not to obscure the cooperation between the vise 4 5and the mold 1.

is part of the machine-frame; 31, the cam-shaft 32, a mutilated gearhaving nine- Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the teen teeth fast on theshaft 31; 33, a gear of the same diameter as the gear 32, but havingforty teeth; 34, a stud-axle carried by the frame 30 and on which thegear 33 turns, and 35 a spring-actuated detent likewise carried by theframe 30 and adapted to lock the gear 33 by engaging in either of twocavities 36 in its right-hand face (looking at it from the front of themachine) as soon as the gear 32 disengages from the said gear 33.

37 is the filling-piece. The width of this filling-piece, looking at itfrom the front, is equal to the desired difference in the two lengths oflinotypes say two ens. Thenose of the filling-piece 37 is wedge-shapedand the cooperating corner of the jaw 5 rounded. off to facilitate theentrance of the said piece 37 between theabutment 6 and the vise-j aw 5,as shown in Fig. 6. This filling-piece is vertical and pivoted by itsbottom end to the outer end of an arm 38, fast on a shaft 39, turningin' brackets'40 .40, carried by the viseframe 8, and kept in contactwith the rear face of the vise-frame 8' by a helical spring 41 on theshaft 39, one end of thesprmg being fast to the said shaft and the otherto the fillingpiece'. 42 is a second arm likewise fast on the shaft 39,but at an angle with the arm 38, the'two forming a bell-crank lever.

43 is a connecting-rod. having its rear end pivoted eccentrically to theface of the gear 33 and its front end pivotally connected to the outerend'of the arm 42; but as thelinotype-machine may be'required to worksometimes in the ordinary wayi. e., without the presentinventionprovision is made for throwing the latter out of gear,suchprovision consisting of a fork 44 in the front endof the connecting-rod,engagingwith a stud 45', projecting laterally from the arm 42, ahook 46pivoted on the machine-frame at 4-7, and a stud 48 on the rod 43,so'thatthe latter can be disengaged from the arm 42 when the invention is to beput out of action and hung up by passing the hook 46 under the stud 48.The gears 32 33 will continue, however, to rotate and the rod 43 towork, the hook 46 swinging with its forked end.

49 is a stud on the frame 30 to support the hook 46 when it is not inuse.

50 is a guard for the gears 32 33.

The automatic means for justifying the line first to the shorter lengthand afterward to the longer length is the justifying mechanism ingeneral use to-day in the com mercial linotype-machine, and isillustrated in Fig; 9'.

150 151. are two cams fast on the cam shaft 31 of the machine andtherefore turning with it in the direction indicated by the arrow.

150 151 are the two justifying-levers. They are both fulcrumed on acommon fulcrum' 152 in the machine-frame 30. Each carries anantifriction-roller 150 151", and

site the two lever-rollers 150 both rollers are kept in contact with therespective peripheries of the cams 150 151 by springs 150 151 andpush-rods 150 151, having collars 150 15]. fast on them and betweenwhich collars and the base of the machine-frame the said springs areconstantly in compression, and therefore always holding the front endsof the levers 150 151 as high as the respective contacts between theperipheries of the cams 150 151 and the rollers 150 15] b allow them todo. The front ends of the cam-levers 150 151 are loosely connected tothe bottom ends of vertical rods 150 151 ,respectively. These rods arecapable of sliding in suitable fixed guides as the respective leversrise and drop under the joint action of the cams 150 151 and springs 150151 These two rods 1.50 151 show in the figure as one behind the other.Their top ends are pivotally connected to a justifying-plate 153, whichstands under the opening between the vise-jaws 4 5. It is into thisopening that the first elevator 22 puts the composed line of matrices Yand spacebars. All the matrices and space-bars hang in the head of thesaid elevator 22 by lugs, which engage in grooves 154 in the said head,as shown in the figure.- Only the lugs y of one matrix show in thefigure, those of the other matrices, as well as those of the space-bars,being behind. A space-bar has been already described as being a doublewedge capable of being thickened by having one of its wedges slid alongover the other. These two wedges are of d 'lferent lengths, one of thembeing shorter than a matrix and the other being much longer. It is theshorter wedge that carries the lugs 2, bywhich the spacebar is suspendedfrom the grooves 154, and that is why the shorter wedges do not show inthe figure. One longer wedge Z shows project ing downward below thecomposed line of matrices and space-bars, (and also above it, becausethe figure illustrates a justified posi tion,) the other long wedgesbeing behind it. At the moment that the elevator 22 puts the composedline in the vise-opening the rises of the two cams 150 151 hold thefront ends of the levers 150 151 and consequently the justifying-plate153,in their lowest respective positions; but by the time the said lineis to be justified the rotation of the cams has placed their dropssaythe two a a -oppo- 151", so that the springs 150 151 at once push thesaid justifying-plate 153 up, making each longer wedge slide over itsshorter fellow wedge, thereby thickening each spacebar as much as thethen distance between the jaws 4 and 5 permits of. This is the conditionshown in the figure. There are two drops a b (and consequently tworises.) shown in each cam, be cause there are two in each cam in thecommercial linotype-machine; but this duplication is a detail that doesnot concern the length between present invention, for so far as it isconcerned each cam may beconsidered as having only one rise and onedrop, the rise and drop in one substantially registering with the riseand drop in the other and both rises and both drops acting once onlyduring each rotation of the cam-shaft 31.

The invention, made as above described, works as follows: The mold 1,set to the longest length, is mounted on the moldcar rier, the abutment6 adjusted by the screw 7 at a distance from its fellow jaw 4 equal tothe length of the longer linotype, a filling piece 37 of a width equalto the difference in the shorter and longer linotypes fixed to the arm38, (or to the shaft 39,) the gears 32 33 being in the positionillustrated in Fig. 1. The operator having composed the line to theshorter length and tight, starts the machine, which proceeds to insertthe filling-piece 37 between the abutment 6 and the movable jaw 5 andleaves it there. This insertion pushes the jaw 5 up toward its fellowjaw 4 and holds it at the shorter distance therefrom. The machine theninserts the composed line in the vise, the mold-carrier 3 is moved up tothe composed line, and the latter justified to the shorter length; butas it was composed tight not more than about half of the justifyingcapacity in its space-bars is used up. The shorter linotype is then castand the moldcarrier 3 moved to the rear and then into the ejectingposition, when the linotype is ejected into the galley of the machine inthe wellknown way. The distribution of the com posed line, which wouldhave been commenced by the machine by this time, is prevented by therepeating mechanism, (illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8,) the line itselfbeing practically left in the vise, (as a matter of fact, it is takenout of the vise as if it were going to be distributed and then returnedto it.) The gear 32 again enga es the gear 33 and makes it withdraw the'llingpiece 37 and, disengaging from the gear 33, leaves thefilling-piece withdrawn. The composed line is replaced in the vise, themold-carrier 3 moved up to it, and the line justified to the longerlength, the aw 5 being thereby pushed back up to the abutment 6. Thelonger linotype is then cast and ejected and the line distributed in theordinary way. While the pair of linotypes was being cast the operatorwas composing the next line, and this is placed in the vise in time tocooperate with the mold 1 each time that it comes opposite to the vise.Thus the machine keeps on delivering first a shorter lino type and nexta longer one, both cast from the same composed line. The shorter-lengthlinotypes have each the indentation already referred to. This is causedby the jaw 5 closing over the left-hand end of the mold 1 (comparedotted and full lines of Fig. 5) as &

the filling-piece 37 pushes it toward its fellow jaw 4, so that only theprinting edge of the linotype is of the shorter length, the body of itbeing of the longer length.

In the variant form of filling-piece shown in Fig. 6 the filling-piece51 is bent at a right angle and has an arcual motion instead of avertical one between the two positions shown by the full and dottedlines. Its front end is fast on the shaft 39, so that the arm 38 andspring 41 are dispensed with.

Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate an improved form of the repeating mechanismthat prevents the removal of the composed line by the well knowndistributor after the shorter linotype has been cast, effects the returnof the line to the casting position, and permits the distribution of itafter the longer linotype has been cast. This mechanism is practicallyidentical with the invention described in the specification of LettersPatent No. 645,472 of March 13, 1900, and therefore per forms no part ofthe present invention. is a cam fast on the cam-shaft 31, alreadymentioned, but not included in Figs. 7 and 8; 61, a portion of the levermechanism that normally takes the composed line out of the well-known"first elevator preparatory to the distribution of it, and whichmechanism is actuated by the cam 60 in one direction and by a spring(not shown) in the other; 62, a lever fulcrumed on the machine-frame at63 and adapted to stop the eamshaft 31 after a linotype has been cast;64, a wedge-shaped projection fast on the said lever 62; 65, a radialprojection on the periphery of the cam 60; 66, a shaft turning instationary brackets 67 67; 68, a lever loose on the shaft 66 and made bythe pull of a spring 69 to hold its nose just within the path of theprojection as the latter turns down toward the adja cent nose of thesaid lever 68; 70, a pawl pivoted on the link 68 2 71, a ratchet-wheelfast on the shaft 66 and with which the pawl 70 engages to turn theshaft 66 intermittently; 72 72 72 72, four stops, and 73 73 73 73 fourintermediate notches arranged symmetrically about a boss 74 on the saidshaft 66 under a stud 75 on the rock-shaft 76 of the portion 61; 77, acam likewise fast on the shaft 66 and having four depressions and fourpoints symmetrically arranged at fortyfive degrees from each other, thedepressions being at an angle of forty-five degrees with the respectivenotches 73 and with which cam the projection 64 cooperates. The sh aft66 is set by hand, so that when a filling-piece is between the abutment6 and the jaw 5 a notch 73 is opposite the sti: d 75, the projection 64being at the same time in a depression of the cam 77 and the pawl 70 putin gear with the ratchet-wheel 71. a spring combined with the pawlkeeping it in gear. As the shorter composed line is being conveyed tothe vise the projection 65 comes up to the lever 68 and turns itdownward about the shaft 66 through forty-five degrees, thereby makinthe pawl 70 turn the shaft 66 till a stop 72 is opposite the stud 75 anda point of the cam 77 in engagement with the projection 64 on the lever62, thereby rocking the latter out of action, the consequence being thatthe lever mechanism represented by the portion 61 and 76 fails to takethe composed line out of the first elevator, so that the latter returnsit to the vise, and the cam-shaft 31 makes a second revolution, therebyeffecting the casting of the longer linotype and also moving theparticular stop 72 out of the path of'the stud 75 and a notch 73 intothe path of it, so that the mechanism 61 works normally after the longerlinotype has been cast, and the composed line is then distributed in theusual way. When the machine is to work normally-i. 6., without thepresent inventlonthe pawl 70' is rocked on its pivot out of engagementwith the ratchet-wheel 71.

Referring to what has been said as to a single mold causing anindentation at the end of a shorter linotype, this indentation would notbe caused if the mold had the left-hand end lineri. 6., the piece thatmakes the lefthand end of the mold-movable instead of being fixed, so astomove to and fro with the jaw 5, their right-hand faces being in thesame vertical plane. Such a combination of liner and vise-jaw isdescribed in the speci fication of Letters Patent No. 576,414, February2, 1897, and the single mold of the present invention may be fitted withit; but it is not recommended, because the movable liner would not be asmetal-tight as a fixed one.

It has already been stated that the invention is particularly applicableto the Mergenthaler linotypemachine.of Letters Patent No. 436,532,September 16, 1890, and so it is; but its applicability is not limitedto that machine. For instance, with reference to the justifying deviceswhich the invention relies on, the essential feature is the reserve ofjustifying capacity. The Mergenthaler justifying devices are doublewedgespace-bars acting in the direction of their length, while the justifyingdevices of the Typograph machine are double wedges acting circularly,but the present invention is, so far, applicable to both machines, forthe reason that the justifying devices of each possess theabove-mentioned reserve of justification. Compressible elasticjustifying devices would possess such reserve of justifying capacity. Soit must be clearly understood that the present invention is applicableto any machine whose justifying devices possess the required reserve ofjustifying capacity. Further, the moldearrier of the Mergenthalermachine is a rotating one adapted to present its mold regularly in thecasting position; but it is this presentation that is the essentialfunction of the carrier (the rotation as such is immaterial) because thesame presentation would be accomplished by a mold-carrier having ato-and-fro motion either arcual or linear.

I claim- 1. The combination of mold-carrier having a single mold of thelonger length; vise having a movable jaw; filling-piece adapted to bealternately put into and out of its operative position; mutilated gear;gear alternately driven and left by the mutilated gear; and rodconnecting the filling-piece to the al ternatively-driven gear.

2. The combination of mold-carrier having a single mold of the longerlength; vise hav ing a movable jaw; filling-piece adapted to bealternately put into and out of its operative position; mutilated gear;gear alternately driven and left by the mutilated gear; and detachablerod connecting the fillingpiece to the alternately-driven gear.

3. The combination of mold-carrier having a single mold of the longerlength; vise having' a movable jaw; filling-piece adapted to bealternately put into and out of its operative position; mutilated gear;gear alternately driven and left by the mutilated gear; rod connectingthe filling-piece to the alternately-driven gear; automatic means forpresenting the composed line to the mold twice in succession; andautomatic means for justifying it to the respective length after eachpresentation.

4. The combination of mold-carrier having a single mold of the longerlength; vise having a movable jaw; filling-piece adapted to be putalternately into and out of its operative position; mutilated gear; gearalternately driven and left by the mutilated gear; rod connecting thefilling-piece to the alternately-driven gear; automatic means forpresenting the composed line to the mold twice in succession; automaticmeans for justifying it to the respective length after eachpresentation; and an automatic repeating mechanism to provide for suchsecond presentation.

5. The combination of mold-carrier having a single mold of the longerlength; vise having a movable jaw; the respective end liner of l themold fast to the said jaw; filling-piece adapted to be alternately putinto and out of its operative position; mutilated gear; gear alternatelydriven and left by the mutilated gear; and rod connecting thefilling-piece to the alternately-driven gear.

6. The combination of mold-carrier having a single mold of the longerlength; vise having a movable jaw; the respective end liner of the moldfast to the said jaw; filling-piece adapted to be alternately put intoand out of its operative position; mutilated gear; gear alternatelydriven and left by the mutilated gear; and detachable rod connecting thefilling-piece to the alternately-driven gear.

7. The combination of mold-carrier having a single mold of the longerlength; vise having a movable jaw; the respective end liner of the moldfast to the said jaw; filling-piece adapted to be alternately put intoand out of its operative position; mutilated gear; gear alternatelydriven and left by the mutilated gear; rod connecting the filling-pieceto the alternately-driven gear; automatic means for presenting thecomposed line to the mold twice in succession; and automatic means forjustifying it to the respective length after each. presentation.

8. The combination of mold-carrier having a single mold of the longerlength; vise having a movable jaw; the respective end liner of the moldfast to the said jaw; filling-piece adapted to be put alternately intoand out of its operative position; mutilated gear; gear alternatelydriven and left by the mutilated gear; rod connecting the filling-pieceto the alternately-driven gear; automatic means for presenting thecomposed line to the mold twice in succession; automatic means for justifying it to the respective length after each presentation; and anautomatic repeating mechanism to provide for such second presentation.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twowitnesses.

FREDERICK WILLIAM SUTCLIFFE. Witnesses:

H. D. JAMESON, A. NUTTING.

